Mexican actor Juan Daniel Garcia Treviño has been included in IndieWire’s list of the 13 Best Film Performances by Actors in 2020 for his role as Ulises Sampiero in I’m No Longer Here / Ya no estoy aquí by Fernando Frías de la Parra.
“In a film so beautifully bursting with the sights and sounds of life’s joys and heartbreaks, Juan Daniel Garcia Treviño’s quiet and understated performance as Ulises grounds the film as one about identity, loneliness, and community. While it may be a performance of few words, Garcia Treviño’s impressive dance skills — which he had to learn just for the role — complete this showcase of the depth of his talent,” wrote the publication on the non-professional actor, who’s professional film debut won him an Ariel for Breakthrough Actor.”
Winner of numerous awards and Mexico’s Oscar candidate for the Oscars, Frías de la Parra’s electrifying second feature follows a street gang from Monterrey named “Los Terkos." Spending their days listening to slowed-down cumbia music, attending dance parties, and showing off their outfits, hairstyles, and gang alliances, the members call themselves Kolombianos for their mix of cholo culture with Colombian music.
Ulises, their leader, tries to protect his friends from a quickly evolving drug-political war, but after a misunderstanding with a local cartel he’s forced to migrate to New York City. There he tries to assimilate, but when Ulises learns that his gang and the whole Kolombia culture is under threat, he questions his place in America and longs to return home. The film is currently streaming on Netflix.
